Mammary mass boar

[Jesse's pigs]

Just thought I’d do a thread so people who experience the same can follow along.

Must be three weeks ago now, noticed my five year old boars right nipple was much bigger than the left when weighing him. Upon palpation felt a ‘bump’ underneath, quite firm not solid but not fatty feeling either. Queue tears and stress!

Booked to see Simon at Cat and Rabbit clinic at next available appointment which was week after Thursday. He agreed was a mammary mass possibly malignant but could be benign. Surgery discussed, otherwise watch and see how he progresses. I asked ethically is it fair, or am I being selfish to put him through it? After discussion, seems surgery is the best option here regardless of whether the mass is benign or malignant. He is otherwise clinically fine for his age.

Booked for surgery TODAY currently sat a nervous wreck in the waiting room bloomin animals. Will update post-op, but please feel free to send good luck vibes to my boy Bellamy. I just hope he is okay under the anaesthetic!

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Sending lots of healing vibes to Bellamy
One of my sows had a mammary lump for which we saw Simon for a second opinion. Like yours it wasn't obviously cancerous or benign. Simon did an excellent job of removing it, and tests on the lump showed it was benign (granuloma or steatitis I think).
Hope Bellamy's turns out to be benign too

 

[Bill & Ted]

Good luck I hope everything goes really well. Simon Maddock is the best! I have experienced exactly the same when my Bill had a mammary lump removed by Simon. Bill and his brother Ted travelled all the way from Cornwall to have his operation that day (Ted had a dental spur so it was a routine visit of every 6 weeks) Bill had the occasional burr on his wonky incisors too. I mentioned the tiny lump I had found and Simon booked him in for surgery that day. He sailed through the operation and travelled a 300 mile trip home amazingly well. In fact you would never have known he had had an op, he was so bright and acting like normal. Both boys never had any issues travelling at all. We didn’t have a biopsy done as it doesn’t change the outcome for guinea pigs but Bill had no further problems at all. Simon also found another even tinnier lump the size if a pen tip tucked in behind the other so glad we got it done

Good luck for your little man Bellamy

 

[Freya1234]

Sending lots of healing vibes and hugs From what i hear about Simon, your boy is definitely in good hands!

 

[Wheekallweek]

Good luck Bellamy! Both my boys had mammary masses. Eric had his removed no problem at all, Larry couldn't as he was diabetic and the vet was worried about anaesthetising him. It never grew or caused him any problems though!
Hope Bellamy is back home and settled soon

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hoping it gone well for Bellamy

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck Bellamy. Sending you lots of healing vibes.

 

[Gem789]

Good luck Bellamy,hope all has gone well x

 

[Merab]

Hope Bellamy makes a full recovery now

 

[Bill & Ted]

Any news on Bellamy, hope the op went well x

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Thank you all for your kind and reassuring words. It really helped and I’m sure if Bellamy could talk he’d thank you too. Now I’m not a nervous wreck I will give you an update on little man!

Bellamy update:

Surgery went well, the mass went quite deep and Simon removed as much of the affected tissue as he could (I currently have said lump and nipple in a pot I will send it to the lab to see if it’s benign/malignant). Sutures are dissolvable and wound looks very neat and tidy.


So little guy was a little quiet on getting home, but took his recovery good and meloxicam well (HE LOVES MELOXICAM apparently ). I kept him separate from his friend for the night in the cat carrier on a white towel so I knew for sure if he was pooping and syringe fed him several times that evening. I saw him nibbling hay and eating some of his normal pellets towards the end of the night so I wasn’t to worried about feeding him every couple of hours. I was worried they wouldn’t go back together and his cage mate (Stitch) did go along with Bellamy to the practice and travelled home with him also. Infact when I got him home they were cuddling so it was a tough call to separate. I placed the cat carrier inside the C and C so Stitch could still interact through the bars at the front. Stitch actually slept next to the carrier all night- like how cute is that?’

As of today, he took his morning dose of loxicom very well -basically snatched the syringe and guzzled it himself! He had pooed overnight so my job today has been stripping the C and C cage, deep cleaning and laying out towels so I can continue to monitor and keep the wound as clean as possible. Syringe feeding Bellamy several times but again I have seen him eat pellets and hay today of his own accord. Will weigh him daily for the moment also. He has lost some weight since yesterday, but he’s had a lump removed so that’s some of the weight- will continue to monitor. He is back with Stitch as of this morning and they seem okay for the moment. A little bit of rumbling from Stitch but I expected it with me having put towels in compared to their normal bedding. Wound still looks good


Fingers cross it continues to heal well and they stay friends

I will continue to update -especially in regards to what the lump was in the end.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Ps Bellamy has a cauliflower Willy so excuse the funny look object in the bottom of the wound picture it’s not a lump it’s his bits and bobs which always look like that lol

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

Looks very neat. Hope Bellamy continues to recover well. Healing wheeks x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw well done Bellamy and Mummy Pig! his stitches look lovely and clean, glad he is doing so well x

it’s so lovely that Stitch took care of him. I remember Bill guarding Ted when he had his first GA dental, boars are so lovely!

 

[weepweeps]

Brilliant news. ️

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Fantastic update, it sounds like he's doing great! Simon's stitching is awesome! I've told him that if ever I need surgery, I am booking in with him!

 

[fluffysal]

I'm glad he's doing well and it's great when they enjoy their yummy syringe stuff, makes things much easier for both of you.

 

[Dwarfpotato]

Surgery buddies! Tico had an operation at the cat and rabbit yesterday too! I'm so glad to hear Bellamy is eating and pooping well.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Yay! I'm so glad Bellamy is home with you and Stitch and feeling better!

 

[Merab]

Glad to hear Bellamy is doing so well.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Looks very neat. Hope Bellamy continues to recover well. Healing wheeks x

It is such a neat wound, very impressed. I googled beforehand wound sites (as a vet nurse that’s very bad) and saw staples and all sorts so I did wonder what it would look like. Was quite surprised when he said dissolvable, but seems very effective and at least I don’t need to worry about him chewing sutures

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Aw well done Bellamy and Mummy Pig! his stitches look lovely and clean, glad he is doing so well x

it’s so lovely that Stitch took care of him. I remember Bill guarding Ted when he had his first GA dental, boars are so lovely!

Thank you! Bellamy is being such a brave boy and really has taken it a lot better than I thought. I worried he’d really struggle afterward.

I feel he’s annoyed at pigmum for the moment cos I’m bothering him a lot, checking the wound, checking his butt for poos weighing him daily lol.

I am surprised about stitch. I was worrying I’d have to somehow build another C and C on top of the double already…they have been bonded for several years now with the odd tantrum which ends in one of them being put in time out (usually a cat carrier) for the evening and then come morning they’ve forgotten about it. However, par rumbling yesterday they’ve been okay. I don’t want to jinx it though

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Fantastic update, it sounds like he's doing great! Simon's stitching is awesome! I've told him that if ever I need surgery, I am booking in with him!

It is beautiful work! I can only agree, if I ever need surgery take me there! And the surgery was done in under 45 minutes!

 

[Jesse's pigs]

I'm glad he's doing well and it's great when they enjoy their yummy syringe stuff, makes things much easier for both of you.

Yes! Bellamy has always enjoyed taking recovery food from the syringe and stitch has always enjoyed a taste. Thankfully it only took a little encouragement when he was initially not feeling himself, but now he is chomping like usual. Steve used to hate it, but I’ve been letting him have some every now and again as he’s an older boy to help give him a lil boost and he now loves it.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Surgery buddies! Tico had an operation at the cat and rabbit yesterday too! I'm so glad to hear Bellamy is eating and pooping well.

Awh how funny is that. Small world eh!? I do hope Tico is doing well and recovers fine. I like to think they had a good little convo between them, though I must apologise if he had to listen to Stitch for the day

 

[Jesse's pigs]

2 days post op.

Wound still looks great. No wound breakdown. No abnormalities. I’m checking for any pus, blood, swelling, redness daily. He is eating for himself and today is the first time I have not given recovery. Weight wise he has actually increased by 46grams since yesterday…LIKE HOW but I prefer an increase to a decrease.

 

[Claire W]

Aw I’m so glad Bellamy is doing so well x

 

[rhymer]

So glad little Bellamy is recovering so well.xx

 

[Dwarfpotato]

Awh how funny is that. Small world eh!? I do hope Tico is doing well and recovers fine. I like to think they had a good little convo between them, though I must apologise if he had to listen to Stitch for the day

Maybe Cookie and Stitch kept each other company while they were waiting for their friends to come back! Cookie could talk the hind legs off a donkey so I'm sure he and Stitch would get on great

And well done Bellamy! That weight gain is fantastic!

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Update on Bellamy with laboratory report from sending mass off (results came back very quickly thankfully)

Update on Bellamy first: wound looks very good, no abnormalities at present, not bleeding, no pus, is still closed. He is eating for himself, acting more his usual self. Last night and evening before his cage mate Stitch has been a bit rowdy, rumbling, chasing him. No blood drawn but I opted to separate over night (one in cat carrier sat inside cage so they can still see/smell) as I did not want Bellamy doing damage to his wound. Placed them back together this morning and since returning home from work they seek to have quietened down (don’t want to jinx it).


Now the lab report. I hoped and prayed it would be benign and I was told the majority of them do come back benign. Unfortunately Bellamy’s is malignant- tubular papillary carcinoma. It does say the margins seem to be clear which is good, but cancer is cancer and I’m not sure if it’s spread anywhere else internally. All I can do now is monitor him and hope the lump removal has given him the rest of his life pain free for however long we have.